Toyota Moving U.S. Base From California to Plano, Texas

Toyota is moving its U.S. headquarters from California to Texas in a bid to improve communication between units now spread over several states.

Toyota will break ground this year on a new environmentally-friendly headquarters in Plano, about 25 miles north of Dallas. Small groups of employees will start moving to temporary office space there this year, but most will not move until late 2016 or early 2017 when a new headquarters is completed.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the state offered Toyota $40 million in incentives from the taxpayer-funded Texas Enterprise Fund. Perry, who made two visits to California to lure Toyota, said Texas expects Toyota to invest $300 million in the new headquarters.

“Over the past decade, Texas and Toyota have developed a strong partnership that has resulted in good-paying jobs for thousands of Texans,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement. “Toyota understands that Texas’ employer-friendly combination of low taxes, fair courts, smart regulations and world-class workforce can help businesses of any size succeed and thrive. We’re proud that both the Tundra and Tacoma bear the words ‘Made in Texas,’ and we’re excited our state will be the nexus for Toyota’s North American operations moving forward.”

The new campus will bring together approximately 4,000 employees from sales, marketing, engineering, manufacturing and finance. That includes 2,000 employees at the current headquarters in Torrance, Calif.; 1,000 employees at Toyota's engineering and manufacturing center in Erlanger, Ky.; and 1,000 employees at Toyota Financial Services.